Germany's conservative opposition was in the lead with an estimated 28.5% of the vote, according to exit polls. The far-right AfD followed with 20%, while Olaf Scholz’s SPD was in third at 16.5%.

The vote is unusually dramatic for Europe's most populous country, a place that normally prides itself on having routine, unfussy ballots. That has been upended this time by a series of high-profile attacks by people with migrant backgrounds, creating a heated atmosphere on which the far-right Alternative for Germany party is seeking to capitalize.